Book #10: Jerusalem Maiden

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

I finished Book #10 last night on the train, and holy crap did I love it (it took me way longer to read because I was a total slacker over the weekend...must remedy ASAP). Talia Carner's Jerusalem Maiden was on my Kindle and came highly recommended from my grandmother.

Esther Kaminsky is one of the Haredi, the ulta-orthodox Jews who consider themselves "the chosen of the Chosen," who live in Jerusalem. Despite her passion for art, Esther is pressured into marriage by her family to a merchant, Nathan, and moves with him to the port city of Jaffa.

The book is really just wonderful. Esther is so likable (despite some not so wonderful instances of mothering) and you really feel like you're in Jerusalem (and eventually Paris) as corny as that sounds. I would absolutely recommended Carner's debut novel and I'm definitely adding her other books to my remaining 90 this year!